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The Jeanette Bonner Three Minute Interview

Jeanette Bonner is an American heading
to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time with her show Love. Guts. High
School. Pete Shaw asked her about the show and why she’s making the journey
across the pond to bring it to an Edinburgh audience.

My fear was that I’d alienate British audiences who would assume that my show would have all these Americanisms – or worse, they’d go “What’s high school?” But I think that American culture has reached far enough that people not only know what it is, but know what it represents.

Tell us about your Edinburgh show.

My show is called Love. Guts. High School.
It’s a 60-minute, semi-autobiographical piece about a teensy teenage
crush that grows into a friendship-ruining obsession. Ultimately it’s about learning to love
yourself more than the object of your affection, all while dealing with the
craziness of high school and facing the ultimate teenage decision: losing your
virginity! (And here’s the kicker: it’s all based off REAL diary entries I wrote
when I was a teen. How crazy is that?!)

Love, Guts, High School did well at the Chicago Fringe Festival. Do you think UK
audiences will be more of a challenge, or is the message universal?

I will be honest, one of the things that most
worried me about bringing the show to the UK is right there in the title. The concept of “high school” is very
American. My fear was that I’d alienate British
audiences who would assume that my show would have all these Americanisms – or
worse, they’d go “What’s high school?” But I think that American culture has reached
far enough that people not only know what it is, but know what it
represents. For Americans, it’s a very
special time in one’s teenage life rife with complicated emotions, the stress
of graduating and getting into college, and newfound freedoms (including
getting one’s driver’s license!) amidst complicated relationships with best
friends, parents, and the opposite sex. But
these things are not just American – I
think all of the above is a rite of passage for most teens. And love – learning the ins and outs of all
that as you’re grappling with coming-of-age... that goes beyond high school. It’s the learning of love – what it is, how
to do it, how it can hurt you – and that’s universal.

You worked on the show with Peter
Michael Marino, who had great success with his own show Desperately
Seeking The Exit over the past two Fringes. Was he an influence in
your decision to bring your show to Edinburgh?

Um, I think Peter was THE reason I decided to take LGHS to Edinburgh! I worked with Peter on my show in 2012, which
was the first year he took his show to the Edinburgh Fringe. I watched his incredible experience from
afar, and followed his journey via Facebook.
I was humbled by his bravery in taking his one-man show by himself to a foreign country to perform for
free. I listened when he came home
and told me the stories of other performers he met, and what an incredible
community of theatermakers he performed amongst. Peter believes in the power of Edinburgh so
whole-heartedly it’s contagious. In December
2013 he hosted a workshop for people in New York who were interested in taking
their show over. He filled us with the
most thorough amount of information, and from that seminar I went from thinking
“Maybe” to “I-Think-I-Gotta-Do-This” in just a few hours. In fact, I just met with him the other day, and
the excitement he now has for me to do my show this summer is palpable. Peter is the poster child for Edinburgh
success, because Edinburgh “success” can be defined in so many wonderful ways.

The US fringe scene has a very
supportive social media community. Has that been useful to you in developing
your show?

I’m not sure it’s been influential in helping me develop my show, but in planning and
prepping for what’s next – absolutely.
One of the most significant forums for me as a solo artist has been a
Facebook group called Solo Show Artists Unite.
One is the loneliest number – especially when putting on a show! There I’ve connected with a WORLD of solo
show performers who are all looking to help and support one another. It is the reason I’ve been able to continue
on with the show the way that I have. I
will also say that there is a US to Edinburgh Facebook group, and it’s been amazing. Look, I live in one of the most competitive
cities in the world for actors. I can’t
tell you how awesome it is to have actors and performers all looking out for
each other, giving each other tips, secrets, “insider” info, etc. I think this is a testament to the magic of
Edinburgh Fringe: it attracts the most interesting, fascinating, and just plain
AWESOME performers worldwide.

There, I finally squeezed in some American high
school language! And there’s more where
that came from!

Pete is founder and publisher of Broadway Baby. He has extensive experience of both journalism and the performing arts, having been deputy editor of a national magazine; broadcaster on Capital Radio; producer of shows in London, Edinburgh and Dublin; and the go-to marketing guy for countless theatrical productions.

It’s been 400 years since William Shakespeare shuffled off to wherever he is now, and the Fringe guide is filled with his plays—possibly even more productions than usual, which would be saying something...

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